Bears GM Ryan Poles leaves the door open to potentially trade back from the 10th overall pick depending on how the first nine selections go
The 2025 NFL Draft is less than a month away and the Chicago Bears seem to be content with any scenerio the board could throw at them with the 10th overall pick.Given the team has no glaring needs to address, the Bears can simply take the best player available after the first nine selections.However, there […]
The 2025 NFL Draft is less than a month away and the Chicago Bears seem to be content with any scenerio the board could throw at them with the 10th overall pick.
Given the team has no glaring needs to address, the Bears can simply take the best player available after the first nine selections.
However, there is a possibility multiple top targets on the Bears board are snatched away during the first nine selections, leaving the team in an interesting position.
While speaking with reporters at the NFL League Meetings on Tuesday, Bears general manager Ryan Poles discussed the possibility of trading down from the 10th overall pick if all of the team's top targets come off the board beforehand.
"For where we are right now, I'm not confident exactly where the first nine picks are going to fall," Poles said on Tuesday. "But that's something that we'll look into and we'll definitely weigh the option of 'Hey if we can move back and collect a certain pick in this range, could that be really beneficial for us as well?' So that'll be in play."
Leaving the door open for a trade back and making that publicly known is a smart move. This opens up interests from other teams who could be willing to move up to the 10th overall pick and part ways with Day 2 selections, which would be a perfect opportunity for Poles and the Bears front office based on how they see this class.
"The top blue [prospects], I think that's condensed pretty small in [the first round]," Poles added. "And then there's a wide range of really good starting level players that are going to range from probably single digits all the way to 50, 60, 70."
The only problem is finding a willing suitor that would give up Day 2 selections in order to move up to 10 and select their guy on the board.
Which teams would be willing to move up?
Based on various team writers I've spoken with at A to Z Sports, the short answer is not very many. And the reason why is simple, nearly every team feels the same way about this incoming class and the value of stockpiling selections in the 30-70 range.
Of the teams I inquired about (Pittsburgh Steelers, Miami Dolphins, and Cincinnati Bengals), all three writers relayed that none of those teams would be willing to move up based on prior GM tendencies and their current draft selections.
Rob Gregson, our Steelers writer, did mention that IF Pittsburgh decided to move up to 10, it would require giving up 21, 83 and swapping fourth-rounders plus 2026 draft capital. That's something the Steelers wouldn't be willing to do and it would take a really strong prospect being available at 10 to give up such a haul.
All of this to say, a trade down should seem unlikely for the Bears, but the team still holds the 39th, 41st, and 72nd overall picks on Day 2. If somehow a trade down were to be agreed upon, the link below dives into four trade down prospects to watch.
Four trade down options for the Chicago Bears in the 2025 NFL Draft if they decide to move back from the 10th overall pick
This could open up even more options.
